Pauline Fowler
Pauline Beale/Fowler Born:11 March 1945 Died: 25 December 2006 Occupation: *Laundrette Assistant Pauline's early storylines concentrate on family and money troubles: coping with her husband Arthur's redundancy, mental breakdown and imprisonment; eldest son Mark's delinquency; and daughter Michelle's teenage pregnancy. The original EastEnder, the show initially revolves around the Beale/Fowler clan, comprising of Pauline and Arthur Fowler and their three children, and Pauline's twin brother Pete, his wife Kathy and their son Ian. Ruling over this clan is the first of EastEnders' great matriarchs, Lou Beale. During the pilot episode, Pauline is pregnant for the third time at 40. She gives birth to Martin on July 1985. Since then, Pauline has lived in the house she grew up in, first taking care of her ailing mother Lou, then with Mark and his wives Ruth and Lisa, and later with Dot Cotton and her friend Ethel Skinner. When Lou dies, Pauline sort of adopts her mother's personality; sometime during the funeral, Arthur suggests changes and Pauline sharply agrees, but starts ordering him about. Before Arthur can reason with her, Pauline exclaims; 'Shut up Arthur Fowler, no one interrupts Pauline Beale when she's in full flow.' In fact, as well as her husband, she develops a strict personality towards her younger relatives, including her nephew, Ian. 1993 is particularly a bad year for Pauline; her twin brother, Pete, leaves Walford with his new girlfriend and Arthur has an affair with Ms Hewitt, leading Pauline to bash his head with a frying pan and to throw him out of the house. Later though, they make up. In December, Pauline invites Pete back to Walford on the day of the birth of Ian's new twin children (Peter and Lucy), but is upset to discover that Pete has been killed in a car crash. Arthur's death in 1996 leaves Pauline bereft. The last lodger to live with Pauline is her long-suffering g ay best mate, Derek Harkinson. Pauline hopes their relationship will progress to a romance, but it fails. Pauline has always worked at the local launderette with occasional forays into factory and cleaning work as well and also running the fish and chip shop, whilst Ian and his new wife Laura are on their honeymoon in May 2001. For a while, Pauline is quite bitter, despite attempts by Eddie Skinner and Jeff Healy to woo her and a one-time blind date with Terry Raymond, but Derek was, temporarily at least, a good influence on her. Given Martin's incarceration, Mark's recent death from his HIV condition, and having to say farewell to granddaughter Chloe (now Rebecca Miller), with whom she is temporarily reunited, Pauline's bitterness is understandable. She and daughter-in-law Sonia reach a peace of sorts, and Pauline becomes more involved in building friendships with the other middle-aged women around the Square, even mending fences with former sister-in-law Pat Evans. She also has enemies including Peggy Mitchell, for insulting Mark. Pauline marries Joe Macer on the 21st anniversary episode, but it fails to stop Pauline from giving frequent vent to her vituperative side when she encounters Sonia and Naomi Julien. She and Joe briefly separate when she learns about his past, but he works his way back into her good graces with few problems. She takes part in the deception of Margaret Wilson in an effort to have Martin and Sonia named as Rebecca's guardians in Margaret's will. Although the original plot blows up in her face, later, upon Margaret's death, Rebecca is sent to live with Martin - a situation which Pauline does not fail to use in her persecution of her daughter-in-law. Pauline seizes the opportunity, whilst in hospital to deceive her loved ones, and eventually the rest of the square, that she has a brain tumour. When found out by her family, they all leave her side, and Pauline separates from Joe, sells the veg stall, and decides to leave for Florida. However, at the last moment, she changes her mind to remain in the square to be with her family. Tragically, before she can make amends, she dies, suddenly, on Christmas night, next to her Arthur's bench. The cause of death is a brain haemoridge. Pauline's granddaughter suspects that Sonia caused the death, following a confrontation between her and Pauline leading Sonia to slap her. As a result, Sonia is arrested in the middle of the funeral. However Sonia is cleared and she, Martin, Rebecca and Pauline's dog Betty reunite to start a new life further up north. Joe confesses to Dot that he caused Pauline to die, had he injured her during a row. In honour (ish) of his dear aunty, Ian and his children move in to her house as Lucy may call it, 'haunted'.